Harold Ford Jr. Fired By Morgan Stanley After Harassment Probe

The former congressman is suspended from MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. was fired by Morgan Stanley over harassment allegations revealed during a human resources probe, a company spokesperson recently confirmed to The Huffington Post.

“He has been terminated for conduct inconsistent with our values and in violation of our policies,” a spokeswoman for Morgan Stanley told HuffPost in an email.

The ex-Democrat U.S. representative-turned Wall Street whiz has also been suspended from his pundit position at MSNBC’s Morning Joe over the probe, the Washington Examiner reported. Ford allegedly harassed, intimidated and forcibly grabbed the unidentified woman, who is not a Morgan Stanley employee, during a professional meeting in New York City several years ago, according to the woman’s two interviews with the company’s HR department as part of its misconduct investigation. She sought help from a building security guard after the alleged encounter, and Ford continued to contact her until she emailed him to stop reaching out, she said. The woman’s emails showed that Ford also asked her out for drinks repeatedly, HuffPost, who reviewed the emails, reported.

The ex-politician is now the latest male public figure to face sexual harassment claims tied to what has been termed the Harvey Weinstein effect.

Ford vehemently denied the allegations in a statement: “This simply did not happen. I have never forcibly grabbed any woman or man in my life. Having drinks and dinner for work is part of my job, and all of my outreach to the news reporter making these false allegations was professional and at the direction of my firm for business purposes. I support and have tremendous respect for the brave women now speaking out in this important national dialogue. False claims like this undermine the real silence breakers. I will now be bringing legal action against the reporter who has made these false claims about me as well as Morgan Stanley for improper termination.”